English Online Dictionary. What means mattress? What does mattress mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English materas, from Old French, from Arabic مَطْرَح (maṭraḥ, “place where something is thrown”), from طَرَحَ (ṭaraḥa, “to throw”). Compare divan, from Persian via Turkish (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmætɹɪs/
- Rhymes: -ætɹɪs
Noun
mattress (plural mattresses)
- A pad on which a person can recline and sleep, usually having an inner section of coiled springs covered with foam or other cushioning material then enclosed with cloth fabric.
- A form of retaining wall used to support foundations or an embankment
- A form of lagging, in particular for boilers.
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- bottom sheet
- futon
Verb
mattress (third-person singular simple present mattresses, present participle mattressing, simple past and past participle mattressed)
- (transitive) To cover with a thick layer, like a mattress; to blanket.
Anagrams
- smart set, smartest, smatters